Lucid has secured the winning bid in Nikola Corporation’s bankruptcy auction, acquiring two major Arizona-based facilities and various assets for approximately US$30 million. The deal—pending court approval—marks a significant expansion of Lucid’s manufacturing and development infrastructure.
According to a statement from Lucid, the acquisition includes Nikola’s former manufacturing facility in Coolidge and its former headquarters and product development center in Phoenix, adding over 884,000 square feet to Lucid’s Arizona operations. The facilities come equipped with high-value development tools, such as battery and environmental testing chambers, a full-size chassis dynamometer, and precision machining equipment.
“As we continue our production ramp of Lucid Gravity and prepare for our upcoming midsize platform vehicles, acquiring these assets is an opportunity to strategically expand our manufacturing, warehousing, testing, and development facilities while supporting our local Arizona community,” said Marc Winterhoff, Interim CEO at Lucid.
Along with acquiring the facilities, Lucid has pledged to offer jobs to more than 300 former Nikola employees across engineering, assembly, vehicle testing, and warehouse roles.
“We are delighted to extend employment offers to more than 300 former employees, who bring valuable industry experience, and together with our outstanding teams, will continue powering Lucid’s industry-leading innovation,” Winterhoff added.
Notably, Lucid’s purchase does not include Nikola’s customer base, business operations, or any proprietary hydrogen fuel cell technology, the last of which is unsurprising considering Lucid’s focus on battery-electric vehicles.
Lucid currently produces the Air luxury sedan and recently launched the Gravity SUV at its existing facility in Casa Grande, located just 25 minutes from Nikola’s Coolidge plant.
Nikola’s fall from grace was one of the more dramatic stories in the EV startup boom. Initially hailed as a disruptor in the hydrogen truck space, the company’s credibility crumbled in 2020 following allegations from short-seller Hindenburg Research. These included a now-infamous video showing a non-operational truck rolling downhill, misleadingly presented as self-powered. The scandal led to the resignation and eventual fraud conviction of founder Trevor Milton, who was sentenced to four years in prison before being controversially pardoned in March 2025. However, in a surprise move, Milton was pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump last month.
After the Milton fiasco, Nikola was able to continue operations, but ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2025. The April 10 court-run auction saw Lucid beat out multiple unnamed bidders for the Arizona assets. While objections to the sale may still be filed, a hearing scheduled for April 11 will determine final approval.
